Local Data Center lets you go beyond 'just the facts'

May 13, 2007

Written by

LEN LaCARA

Managing Editor

Len LaCaraManaging Editor

When it comes to information, there is the Joe Friday approach and the Benjamin Disraeli approach.

The famous "Dragnet" sergeant used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." The great British statesman is credited with the saying, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."

Our Local Information Center aims for a middle ground. On complicated subjects, we want to give you the context that makes certain information clearer. But we also want to give you the raw data that helps you draw your own conclusions - and perhaps share them with us and our readers.

We have written some big stories using statewide databases. We tracked which businesses were accused of ignoring the statewide smoking ban. We tried to explain why Muskingum County has so many repeat drunken driving offenders.

I'm a big believer in giving readers the numbers behind the stories. A reader alerted us to an error in a database one of our sister newspapers created.

That's why we have launched our Local Data Center online. It's a great place for you to find all sorts of useful information.

Want to see how well your school district is doing?

Need to compare the quality of area nursing homes?

Want to see how your property taxes compare to your neighbors'?

Want to know how many registered sex offenders live in your neighborhood?

We have assembled some of the most useful links to public information in one easy-to-use place.

You can see who's currently in the Coshocton County Jail.

You can compare insurance agents and premiums.

You can learn whether your friends and neighbors donated to political candidates.

You can get information on area road construction, or order a book from your local library.

The center is still in its infancy. The next step is to build our own lists of data you can't find elsewhere.

First on our to-do list are restaurant inspections, which exist only on paper here. By the end of summer, we hope to have them available in some form online.

What we do after that, in part, is up to you. What kind of information do you want to see in our Data Center? Are there other sites we ought to include?

Either e-mail your suggestions to me or leave them using our StoryChat feature online. We may not be able to fulfill every request, but we will take them into account. As comedian Steven Wright says, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"